Prince Was About To Meet Addiction Doctor

Prince died one day before a doctor specialising in addiction was due to meet him on a "life-saving mission", a lawyer has said.

Representatives of the 57-year-old musician had contacted Dr Howard Kornfeld the day before he was found unresponsive in a lift, but as he was not immediately available, he sent his son instead.

Andrew Kornfeld, who is not a doctor, was one of three people who found Prince's body after he showed up at his Minneapolis-area Paisley Park estate.

Dr Kornfeld's lawyer, William Mauzy, said neither his client nor his client's son had previously met or spoke to Prince in person, but that Dr Kornfeld was due to fly to meet him the next day.

"Dr Kornfeld felt that his mission was a life-saving mission," Mr Mauzy said.

Mr Mauzy said it was Andrew Kornfeld who called 911, and confirmed that he was carrying a small amount of bruprenorphine - a drug which can be used to give pain relief to drug addicts who are in pain - although he did not intend to give this to Prince.

Mr Mauzy said: "When he arrived, Prince was not immediately available. They went looking for him. The staff representatives apparently found him in an elevator unconscious.

"One of the staff members started screaming. Andrew heard the screams and went to the elevator where he saw that Prince was unconscious.

"Andrew was the person to make the 911 call."

The lawyer said Dr Kornfeld had asked a doctor colleague in Minnesota to see if he could check on Prince and that doctor cleared his schedule on the morning the pop star was found dead.

The doctor remains unidentified.

Mr Mauzy spoke out on behalf of California-based Dr Kornfeld after a report was published that claimed Prince had arranged to meet a doctor to kick an addiction to painkillers shortly before his death. Prince's representatives were not available for comment.

A police official close to the investigation has told the Associated Press news agency that investigators are looking into whether Prince died from an overdose.

On Tuesday, police released call records from 2011 that suggested Prince was unable to control a cocaine habit .